Doctors make the best neighbors

As I stated before, I have been sick.

My allergies are trying to kill me slowly with as much torture possible.
I called the doctors office to make an appointment but, due in large part to the Swine Flu pandemic, was told there were no available appointments until the middle of June.

Ok, that's just crazy. Seeing as it was like the 20th of May or something. By June 12th I would be either dead, my allergies finally winning the battle for my soul OR the problem would have already corrected itself after a long and agonizing fight with my sinuses.

So I was talking to my neighbor about the problem. His wife is a doctor. Not just any doctor...a NAVY doctor. He called her (she was working at the time) and she said "come in at 3 and I'll see you"

3:00 I made a visit to my favorite neighbor where she checked me out. My ear drum was attempting to free itself from the confines of my ear, but no infection. Good!

It turns out it was an allergy problem all along. She gave me five different kinds of medication. One for congestion, one for coughing and three for allergies.

Ah...sweet Zyrtec.

The Gods have smiled on me in the form of Zyrtec and Flonase. However, I do find Flonase insulting. Not because I have to squirt it up my nose, but because it mocks me by smelling like lilacs.

On the plus side, it is the very first time in my entire life I have smelled lilacs without sneezing. Win!

So in conclusion, if you are in the market for a new house. I strongly suggest you find one with a doctor next door. It will simplify your life drastically!

Thank you Shannon for being the most awesome neighbor....and doctor on the planet. I'm totally going to buy you a houseplant that now, thanks to you, won't make me sneeze!

Angry Porcupines and various other things.

So this will be short and sweet. and By sweet I mean...sort of that biting equal taste.

I'm still sick. Yesterday I had a very angry porcupine take up residence in my esophagus. Today I feel like the angry porcupine has now enlisted a bulldozer and one of those large combine tracker thingys to do some digging in my throat.

They also seem to be rather unhappy with my ability to still form words and are working double shifts to remove my vocal cords.

They have dug out a subway system in my right ear canal. I think however, they hit a water main because it's now all plugged up and has that, hearing through
water sort of thing going on. (was that to much information?)

Luckily, they can never take my fingers. Ha! I'll show them!

On the positive side of the illness, I have been named the official "coolest mom on the planet" by the only kid that matters. Mine.

Because of my stellar mothering skills, we went to Dairy Queen for dinner. Her "dinner" consisted of a sprite and an oreo brownie earthquake sundae.
Oh yeah....bask in my superior skills.

Oh, because of my extended illness, I have watched way to much tv in bed today. However, I am considering using some our savings and hiring Empire flooring. Right now they are having a buy 1 get 2 free sale. The Sham Wow is also growing on me.


Ok...I'm babbling. I have absolutely nothing of importance to say today because quite frankly....my brain has decided to take a vacation. I hope it went someplace warm and is enjoying it's self.

Trekkie 12 step

Hi, my name is Kristine and I am a closet geek.

Hi Kristine!

The new Star trek movie is out!
I must see this movie, but I promised my husband, who has been open and embracing of his geekyness, I would wait until he returned from sea. Argh!

It's taunting me in previews on tv, and the interwebs. Not to mention, I keep hearing reviews from both paid critics and just critical friends, who claim it's not only good but "It's AWESOME!"

Must see movie.

Anniversary and Friends

This past week I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary.
As you are aware, my husband is somewhere in the briny deep playing hide and seek.

So, I spent the day with friends. One friend in particular. Carrie.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
First things first.

Renee came by on Wednesday with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever seen. Along with the greatest basket filled full of Starbucks and various other coffee treasures. Then, to top it off....she made the greatest cheesecake I have ever had.

Ok friends, take a gander at this....Starbucks espresso. Lots of it. Rich dark chocolate...even more of that and cheesecake. Put them all together and you have what I like to call "heaven" because I truly believe this is what God and the angels eat daily.
Damn, I'm hungry now.

So, Friday Mayday. I head out to spend the day with my friend Carrie. Her Mom has a heart problem and was having some tests done.

I meet up with her and we head to breakfast where she insisted on picking up the tab.
Then Old Navy where I learned that on the first of every month is military appreciation day! You save 10% with you ID.
I saved $14. Yeah, She didn't pick up the tab on that one :)

Anyhoo...then we headed to Target. Then the mall. She needed luggage for her upcoming family vacation.
Finally her moms tests were done and we parted ways. two hours later, I met back up with Carrie this time with kids in tow at Red Robin.
We were met by our friend Sharon and her adorable kids and our friend Becky.
We had a great dinner. Chatting and enjoying the company.
Seems like a great full circle somehow. The first time I met any of these women was at my welcome dinner for the wardroom wives which was here, at Red Robin!

Finally we headed back to my house because Carrie had bought a cake to celebrate! It looked like a mini wedding cake. With bows and pearls and hearts. It was pink on pink (or is that blush and bashful) and It was AWESOME!

By the end of the evening I realized I had gone the entire day, busy from the moment I woke up. I didn't have a single moment to be sad that Chris was deployed. I truly enjoyed the day.
Thanks Carrie, Sharon, Becky and Renee! You made this an anniversary I won't forget!

10 Years

10 years ago I married the man of my dreams.
In a little brick church, in a valley in the mountains.

I met my husband at work.
You see, my boss Renate, at the store where I worked, changed jobs to Wal-Mart of all places and she begged and pleaded with me to come work for her there.

I stood my ground and told her no way was I going to give up my relatively cool job with awesome discount perks to go work in the jewelry department at Wal-Mart!

She persisted and finally won me over with the prospect of health care, a bigger paycheck and really good looking guys in the next department.

Alas, I gave in....despite my better judgment.

On my very first day at my new job, my friend Justin was giving me a tour of all the departments. Directly across the aisle from my department was electronics.

Boy was Renate right. There were some seriously good looking guys in that department....this job may not be half bad!

I was introduced to them and this one tall blond and beautiful man stood out from the group. Justin informed me his name was "Stick."

Stick? Ok. Obviously a nickname and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it had something to do with his 6'4" 165 lbs. body. He did resemble a stick quite a bit.
So a little time passes and I become friends with the electronics department boys. "Stick" is very flirty, amazingly smart, unbelievably handsome and super sweet to boot.

I had a serious crush.

Finally one day he asks me out to a movie. We had a large group of friends from work that we hung out with, and I half assumed they would be joining us. But when the time came it was just "Stick" and I.

I can still remember the butterflies in my stomach when I saw him standing there.

Our first date. We saw Contact. After the movie we went out to the marsh and watched Hale Bopp. Remember that comet?

So now lets fast forward a year. Same place. It's late at night because I had to close. It's pouring down rain. Stick, who I now call Chris picks me up from work. He packed a romantic picnic dinner of Taco Bell.

We park and eat our dinner. Finally he pulls a box out of his coat pocket and hands it to me.

"Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife" those were his words. I didn't even open the box and tears were streaming down my face as I screamed YES!!!!

Now, fast forward another year.

May 1, 1999. 6:30 PM on a Saturday. In a little brick church, in a valley in the mountains, by candlelight and with 350 witnesses I vowed to love him forever.

After we were married our lives drastically changed. He enlisted the Navy four months after our wedding.

We moved to Chicago for a year while he was in school. I got pregnant.

We moved to San Diego, California for four years. We had a baby.

We moved to Pullman, Washington for three years, for college. He was commissioned an officer in the Navy and accepted to the submarine program.

We moved to Charleston, South Carolina for a year and a half while he went through nuclear schools.

Finally we moved to Poulsbo, Washington and bought a home.

Through it all we grew stronger. Every hurdle he jumped, he did for us. Every day of hard work he put in, he did it for our little family.

Friday is our 10 year anniversary. And that man I said "I do" to is still the most handsome and wonderful man on Earth. He is my world. I am so grateful to have the honor of saying I am his Wife.

So today I am looking at the pictures of a gray Saturday evening. In a little brick church, in a valley in the mountains where I vowed to love him forever.

Happy Anniversary Chris. I love you forever.

4 out of 5 bartenders will agree that Navy wives have more fun!

Last night I spent a few fun filled hours chatting up some of my bestest submariner wives. (Holly, why can't you move back?)

We had a little get together at a fantastic Mexican place in Port Orchard. Lots of food, margaritas, and fun. The perfect recipe.

Carrie and I were identical twins. So 7th grade, I know. I swear to God we didn't call each other and plan it out.
But we both showed up wearing matching jeans, matching red Kentucky polo's and white shirts underneath. Yep. Identical. So what did we do? We sat next to each other of course!

About 40 of us showed. Unfortunately there was a really small wardroom turnout. Only four of us. That was depressing seeing as I only know a handful of the enlisted wives and a couple of the wardroom wives are leaving our little club soon so I will miss them!
None the less, we made the best of it and had tons of fun.

We had door prizes and I won a spa set. Which I think I will use tonight.
Carrie won basically the same thing. Twinsies again!
Becks won...something that I can't remember and Kim won a Starbucks gift card. Meanie. I should have been twinsies with her.

It was obnoxiously loud and the alcohol was flowing.
Finally the party started to wind down. Some of the ladies decided to take the party to a local bar. They kidnapped the captains wife and took her with them! She wasn't complaining, however.

I decided to head home seeing as I live a good half hour away.
Happily I can report everyone made it home safely and a good time was had by all.
Can't wait until the next one!

Three cheers for the Navy!!!

Hip hip hooray!
Let me tell you a little story about my friend Stacy.
She and I met in Idaho while our husbands were in college. Both of them were in the seaman to admiral program at the University of Idaho.
We spent three years shopping, gossiping and getting manicures. We were like totally college co-eds!
Well, coeds with kids....disturbing isn't it?
Anyway, we quickly because the best of friends. Finally the day came that we had to part. Chris graduated and we moved to South Carolina. I was sad to say the least.
6 months later, Anthony graduated and they moved to Virginia. Lucky for me (but not for them) Stacy and the boys had to spend the first 6 months in Florida because they didn't have a house in Virginia yet and Anthony was heading out to sea for two to three weeks at a time.
So Stacy had to drive back and fourth between the two. Guess what's directly in between Florida and Virginia...I'll give you a hint My old house!
So I got to see her once in a while, but eventually they bought a home and her parents moved away from Florida and her travels up and down the Atlantic coast were over. then I moved again. This time to the opposite side of the country.
But, Stacy had other problems then my moved cross country.
but that all changed last week.

First, her husband has been deployed for over 7 months. In that time Stacy had a baby. Sweet little Hunter. Who is no longer little as he was born a month after his Dad deployed.

Well Anthony, Stacy's husband has returned! He finally came home where he was reunited with Stacy, their two older boys and the newest member of their little family. That new member is crawling, has teeth and eats solid food now...but that doesn't matter now because Anthony is Home!!!

So everything is hunky dory at their house. I'm naturally thrilled for her.
However I'm more excited because the Navy also decided to give Anthony a welcome home gift.

New orders.

To WASHINGTON! You heard me. They will be living not 10 miles form me. And, no short ferry ride either. Nope. He will be stationed on this side of the pond!

My manicure and Starbucks buddy will be here this fall!!!!!
I'm so excited.